House Transportation committee hears options to shore up road funding: gas tax tweaks, mileage fees, retail delivery charge

Members of the Vermont House Transportation Committee heard an informational briefing on Thursday from the Joint Fiscal Office about three possible revenue options to support the state transportation fund: adjustments to the existing motor fuel tax, a mileage-based user fee, and a retail delivery fee.

Logan Murray of the Joint Fiscal Office briefed the committee and described the presentation as “informational” and not a recommendation: “This is just informational. There is no sort of policy recommendation or any direction that I think the committee should go,” Murray said. The session provided staff-level estimates, historical context and potential implementation issues for each option.

The committee received detailed explanations of how Vermont’s current motor fuel tax and assessments are structured. Murray described a hybrid system made up of a fixed per‑gallon component and variable assessments tied to the prior quarter’s average retail price. He said the statutory minimum assessment for one variable portion is currently…